


Drifting Within

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Category: Original Work
Genre: Crisis of Faith, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Female Characters, Female Relationships, Female-Centric, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-11-19 12:02:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11312988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: Time and personal beliefs aside, she would never consider entering this sacred space without her partner's explicit permission.





	Drifting Within

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gehayi](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gehayi/gifts).



> ...coming soon

Keezia sits quietly in the corner of her garden dedicated to her goddess shrine. There are weeds peeking up through the catmint and digitalis that need removal, but she can't find it in herself to bother at the present moment. There are likely weeds in the other beds, but these are the plants most sacred to her matron goddess and she should be taking better care of them. And yet, she simply sits there, staring blankly into space.

This is how Diane finds her several hours later in the day, approaching the quiet redhead slowly. She knows better than to interrupt her partner in spiritual meditation, but immediately notices the unusual shift from the usual vibe she gets in this place.

"Keez?" she asks softly, still standing just on the sanctuary's perimeter. The redhead flinches slightly, but looks up. The hollow, stricken look on her face almost has Diane racing in to comfort her, but somehow she still stops. Time and personal beliefs aside, she would never consider entering this sacred space without her partner's explicit permission. It would be a direct violation of the sanctity that Keezia has placed on this corner of their backyard.

When Keezia speaks, her voice is rough with the unshed tears that glitter in her dark eyes. "You can come in, Di. I don't have any wards up right now."

Diane carefully picks her way along the paving stones to settle on the lush grass next to Keezia, holding her arms open in silent offer. She holds her partner close for several moments, taking in the faint tremors of emotions trying to escape the unusually reserved woman.

"Wanna talk about it, boo?"

Keezia shrugs and sighs softly. "It's nothing you can help me with."

"Sometimes it's good just to talk it out and get it off your chest though, right? Besides, you know I'm always willing to be your sounding board."

"But it's about _Her_ and you don't believe--"

Diane snorts softly, the sound cutting off Keezia's words. "Keezia Moonbeam Wilson, are we going to have to discuss this _again_?" Before Keezia can do more than part her lips to speak, Diane continues on. "I have never once said that I don't believe in Her existence. I just need the proof to understand. Plus? I support your belief because it means something to you. I don't have to understand it to support it or you."

"Sometimes I hate my name," comes the mumbled reply.

"No, you don't. You love it and you love your hippy-dippy, commune-living, goddess-worshipping parents with everything in you. Don't you dare try to deny it either." Diane smiles at Keezia's soft laugh, taking it for the small step toward normalcy that it is. She kisses the dark auburn hair before resting her cheek on the crown of her head. "So you gonna tell me what's got you so upset or am I gonna have to tickle it out of you?"

Keezia is silent for several minutes before the words slowly begin to tumble out. "Nothing seems to be going right. I think I've done something wrong. I don't feel like any of my efforts mean anything, my requests and prayers falling on deaf ears."

As Keezia continues to speak, detailing her fears and self-castigations, Diane takes the time to look around her partner's sacred space. The bubbling of the pond's fountain blends with the soft buzzing of flies and chirping of birds to create a comfortable white noise that she's always found oddly soothing. The wind whispers through the trees, and she can _almost_ make out a conversation among them. Sun-warmed soil and flowers fill the air with a rich perfume that doesn't even come close to overpowering. Large, lumbering bumblebees and tiny orchard mason bees flit around the flowering plants, pollinating and sucking up nectar in an endless dance of growth and decay that has been in play since forever. Dragonflies flit among the plants in the pond, thwarting some of the fish searching for something to eat.

The lack of Keezia's voice brings Diane back out of her own musings to smile at her partner, her lover, her best friend. The lessening of the lines around Keezia's eyes is a clear indication that the rambling verbal diarrhea is exactly what she needed to start feeling less adrift and floundering.

"Feel better yet, boo?"

She shrugs and ducks her head, tucking wayward hair behind her ear. "A little, I guess. I just… It feels like something's not right, like I'm being punished. And it's so hard to explain that to you sometimes."

Diane nods. "And yet, I look around your sanctuary and see so much to celebrate, rather than any kind of punishment. Your plants are thriving and covered in bees."

"There are weeds that need to be plucked."

"Then we weed the gardens," Diane replies, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "And then we fill the hummingbird feeder and the bird feeders. I bet the fish wouldn't fight over a little extra pellet love today either." Emboldened by Keezia's laughter, Diane continues, pointing out the various things she mentions. "The sun is warm on your skin; the breeze cools you so you don't overheat. There are more of your little animal friends surrounding us than you can shake a stick at. Where exactly is the punishment, boo?"

Keezia shrugs and leans in to kiss Diane, just a gentle pressing together of lips. Before she can pull back, Diane cups a hand around the back of her neck, deepening the kiss slightly before resting their foreheads together.

"Thank you, Di," Keezia whispers. "I don't know why I'm in such a funk about this."

"It happens. You stumble, you learn, you grow, you keep going. It's just how you are. And we had a long and nasty winter. You've needed the sunshine more than you care to admit. It all makes sense to me."

"But not--"

"We're never going to see eye to eye on that, Keez, and you know it. But that doesn't stop me from loving you and doing what I can to make sure you're okay."

"You're too good to me."

"If being too good to you means being a lifeline when you need it, then I'm the best you'll ever get."

That brings a brighter laugh, one that Diane treasures above all others, and she knows things will be okay.


End file.
